Chapter Text
Class: Grand Shielder
True Name: Natsuki Subaru
Sex: Male
Height/Weight: 175cm 66kg
Alignment: Neutral Good
Qualification:
A man cast into an unfamiliar world, bearing but a single gift bestowed by the very Witch who heralded its ruin. Bereft of great sorcery, divine strength, supernatural speed, or an invincible body, he stood as nothing more than an ordinary human amidst legends and monsters.
Yet it was such humanity that forged his legend.
For the sake of those he cherished, he endured suffering beyond any and all limits. Time and time again he cast himself before calamity, shouldering despair and pain for others to see another dawn.
Against foes that summon black holes and suns, move at the speed of light and defy all laws of the world, he possesed knowledge, determination and a single gift of a Witch that became his to use.
Even centuries after his passing, the historians of that distant world remain unable to explain the victories of Natsuki Subaru.
His life was a contradiction that defied all reason.
A mere human with no divine protections, no peerless talent, and no overwhelming power, yet he emerged victorious from conflicts that should have been impossible to survive.
He stood against calamities that rivaled gods, crossed blades with beings beyond mortal comprehension, and walked away from battles where fate itself seemed determined to claim his life.
To those who studied the records, his triumphs appeared to be miracles born from impossible fortune—a succession of one-in-a-million chances strung together into a legend. Yet every witness who stood upon those battlefields told a different story.
There had been no miracle.
No coincidence.
No divine intervention.
Only flawless judgment, unfathomable foresight, and a will that refused to yield.
Thus countless theories were born.
Was he a man secretly blessed by the Gods of Fortune, destined to walk a path untouched by destiny's cruelties?
Was he a master schemer, a puppeteer who manipulated rulers, heroes, and monsters alike from behind the curtain?
Or was he truly what his final adversary named him in admiration—A Mad Sage.
A man who stared into the abyss of despair countless times and returned with the answer needed to overcome it.
The truth was lost to history.
Yet in the end, it mattered little.
For regardless of the mysteries surrounding his achievements, one fact remained beyond dispute:
When the world stood upon the brink of ruin, he was there.
When hope faltered, he carried it.
When others despaired, he endured.
And so the name Natsuki Subaru was etched forever into the roots of that world—not as a king, nor as a conqueror, but as something far greater.
It's ultimate protector.
He possessed the 5 callings:
Avenger, had he ever abandoned hope and allowed despair to consume him. The countless tragedies he endured, and the resentment he could have harbored toward fate itself, were enough to qualify him for the class.
Caster, for his vast knowledge, tactical brilliance, and proficiency in magic. Though never a great magus by conventional standards, his understanding of the world and ability to devise miracles from limited resources made him a worthy candidate.
Rider, because his legend could never be told without Patrasche, the loyal Land Dragon who carried him through countless battles, disasters, and impossible journeys. Few companions were as steadfast as she.
Beast, for embodying humanity's sins while simultaneously embracing them. A man who carried the Authorities of Sin within himself and whose overwhelming love for others often crossed the boundary between selflessness and self-destruction.
And yet, none of these were his true calling.
His true class was Shielder.
Not because he wielded a shield in his hands, but because he became one.
Not because he carried a shield, but because his very existence became one. A bastion against ruin, a wall standing between the innocent and oblivion. No matter how overwhelming the enemy, no matter how certain the defeat, he would remain standing so that others would not have to and ultimately, by all odds, achieve victory.
In the end, all his suffering, all his victories and all his impossibility returns condensed into a single truth: he would not let the world fall while he still had breath.
Thus, beyond hero, beyond sage, beyond sin, he became the Grand Shielder, the final wall between salvation and oblivion.
Servant Parameters:
Strength E
Endurance E (EX)
Agility E
Magical Energy D (EX)
Luck E
Noble Phantasm EX
Element: Ether
Attribute: Star
Origin: Constalation
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance B
-Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by Greater Magecraft and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected.
Riding A
-All vehicles and all creatures but those of Phantasmal Beast and Divine Beast-rank can be used as mounts. This rank is high enough to have an aptitude for the Rider Class.
Self-Field Defense C
-Applies damage reduction beyond defensive limits, but they are excluded from the effect's target.
Personal Skills:
Veteran EX
-The Servant has mastered their mental fortitude. They are able to stay in a state of serenity under any circumstances, and through the contract they have, they are able to constantly stabilize their Master's mental state as well. For this reason his Endurance Parameter has EX in it, not because of his physical endurance, but rather for his mental one.
Beloved by Witches and Spirits A
-A Skill that signifies an unnatural affinity with witches and spirits. The Servant is instinctively favored by such existences, allowing them to earn trust and cooperation that would be impossible for ordinary humans.
Child of War A
-A Skill born from countless battles against impossible odds. The Servant possesses exceptional tactical insight, leadership, and the ability to adapt to any crisis. Amidst chaos and conflict, their judgment sharpens, allowing them to devise strategies and rally allies with remarkable efficiency.
Sage Chosen by the Sins EX
-A Skill possessed by one born as a Sage Candidate. The Servant's soul and body possess an unparalleled compatibility with the nine Authorities of Sin, allowing them to wield their powers without suffering the permanent corruption or drawbacks that would destroy ordinary individuals.
Hated by the Universe EX
-A curse-like Skill that draws misfortune and calamity to the Servant's existence. Regardless of intent or circumstance, tragedy follows in their wake, and fate itself seems to conspire against them. Disasters, losses, and impossible hardships occur with unnatural frequency around the Servant.
Noble Phantasm:
Shamac's Lash — Whip of the Unyielding Fool
Rank: C+
Type: Anti-Unit
A Noble Phantasm born from the ordinary bullwhip wielded by Natsuki Subaru throughout his countless struggles. Though neither divine nor legendary in origin, it became a symbol of a man who challenged monsters, rulers, and fate itself despite lacking the qualifications of a hero.
The whip excels in battlefield control rather than direct destruction. Its strikes disrupt an opponent's rhythm, bind movement, disarm weapons, and create openings that the Servant can exploit through strategy and preparation.
True Name Release — "One More Time."
The whip becomes a manifestation of Subaru's refusal to surrender. Every strike grows more precise and difficult to predict, adapting to the enemy's actions and exploiting weaknesses revealed during battle. Against opponents who rely solely on overwhelming power, the Noble Phantasm becomes increasingly effective the longer the confrontation continues.
Its damage remains modest compared to the Noble Phantasms of legendary heroes. However, in the hands of a tactician, it transforms even the smallest opening into a path toward victory
Beatrice — Forbidden Library's Eternal Guardian
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-Army / Support
The manifestation of Subaru Natsuki's contract with the Great Spirit Beatrice, the keeper of the Forbidden Library and one of the greatest Yin Magic users in existence.
Upon invocation, Beatrice materializes beside the Servant as an independent spiritual entity. Unlike a conventional familiar, she possesses her own will, personality, and vast magical capabilities.
Through their contract, Beatrice supplies the Servant with powerful Yin Magic, defensive barriers, spatial manipulation, and support abilities far beyond what the Servant could achieve alone.
True Name Release — "I Suppose I'll Save You, in Fact."
Beatrice unleashes her full authority as a Great Spirit, distorting space itself and creating a territory dominated by Yin Magic. Enemies are trapped within a labyrinth of warped dimensions, while allies receive her protection. Though extraordinarily powerful, the Noble Phantasm's effectiveness is directly proportional to the bond between Beatrice and her contractor.
The Servants Magical Energy parameter is ranked E because of his broken gate, his internal organ responsible for absorbing and expelling mana, but when Beatrice gets unleashed he can use her as a Catalyst for his own magic. Thus his Magical Energy becomes EX.
Life Sword Zeam — Enchanted Sword of the Severed Soul
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-Unit / Anti-Existence
One of the legendary Enchanted Swords, the origins of which are lost to history. A blade not merely forged, but cultivated, as though it possesses an existence closer to a living concept than a weapon. It is said to have been “fed” vast quantities of mana over time, evolving beyond the limits of conventional magic swords and into something that transcends human understanding.
The Life Sword Zeam does not cut the body.
It cuts the soul itself.
Any being struck by it has their spiritual essence severed, resulting in a complete and irreversible annihilation of existence at a fundamental level. Even regeneration, resurrection, or conceptual healing cannot reach what this blade destroys. It is believed that even the Heroic Spirits will be erased from the Throne of Heroes if the sword brings apon their end.
In combat, the sword does not require overwhelming force or technique. A single clean hit is sufficient to determine the outcome of battle, making it a weapon that reduces all conflict to a singular, absolute condition: contact or avoidance.
However, Zeam is not a passive tool. Like many Enchanted Swords, it demands consequence. It is said to “call for blood and death” to fulfill its purpose, and those who wield it may find themselves increasingly bound to violence, as though the blade itself hungers for continued affirmation of its nature.
Some records suggest it possesses a rudimentary will of its own, responding not only to the wielder’s intent, but to the inevitability of death within its presence.
True Name Release — “Die Without Returning.”
Upon release, Zeam asserts absolute severance within a limited range, causing all affected targets to be treated as already “cut” at the soul level. Even evasive actions, defensive skills, or conceptual protections are overridden for an instant where fate is forced into finality.
A weapon not of destruction in the traditional sense, but of erasure from the cycle of existence itself.
Nine Authorities of Sin — Crown of the Hero of Salvation
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-World / Anti-Concept / Anti-Self
A composite Noble Phantasm representing the nine Authorities of Sin, fragments of laws that defy the natural order of the world. Unlike Magecraft or True Magic, Authorities do not obey logic, cost, or balance in any ordinary sense. They are “exceptions” imposed upon reality itself.
Individually, each Authority is a distortion of a single aspect of existence. A broken law that took a living form and chooses a vessel that best suited it. Every authority is different for the user, because it takes the form of the users view of the sin. It breaks the user forcefully and mentally if the authority is not compatible or forcefully applied to someone. All 9 Authorities have their own origin to differentiate them from one another.
The Servents authorities:
Authority of Sloth–Invisible Providence
Origin: Hand
Type: Anti-Unit
-The second Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru.Obtained after the defeat of the Corrupted Great Earth Spirit, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti.
Allows the manifestation of an invisible spectral hand capable of phasing through physical matter and interacting directly with targets.
Despite Subaru's compatibility with the Authority, its use inflicts immense physical pain. While he can wield Sloth, his nature fundamentally rejects the indolence the Authority represents.
Authority of Greed–Cor Leonis
Origin: Contract
Type: Anti-Army
-The third Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru.
Obtained following the fall of Regulus Corneas, the Little King. Allows Subaru to establish soul-level contracts with individuals who share mutual trust with him. Through these bonds, he may redistribute physical pain, exhaustion, and mental strain among contracted allies. Furthermore, he can perceive the location, condition, and emotional state of those connected to him through their souls.
This Authority possesses no drawbacks.
It is the manifestation of Subaru's greed to bear the burdens of others.
Authority of Wrath–Anathema
Origin: Projection
Type: Anti-Unit
-The fourth Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru.
Obtained following the death of Sirius Romanée-Conti, the Corrupted Elf Fortuna. Allows Subaru to extract emotions, intentions, and interpersonal bonds and forcibly project them onto different targets. Hatred may become affection. Loyalty may become resentment. Fear may become courage. However, Subaru experiences every transferred emotion himself, subjecting him to the full psychological burden of the Authority's effects.
Authority of Gluttony–Re: Forgotten
Origen: Consume
Type: Anti-Unit
-The fifth Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru.
Obtained following the assassinations of Lye Batenkaitos, Roy Alphard, and Louis Arneb/Natsuki Spica, the Gluttony Siblings.
Allows Subaru to consume the "current memory state" of an object, person, or phenomenon and replace it with a previously existing state.
If an earlier state is remembered by reality itself, it may be restored. However, activation is not automatic. To alter a target, Subaru must first stomach its present state. The consumed state manifests as a tangible memory that Subaru experiences and devours. The more complex, painful, or horrifying the target's history, the more difficult it becomes to consume. Despite the horrors involved, the Authority possesses one final and deeply unsettling characteristic.
No matter what memory state Subaru consumes, he will always leave the experience feeling satisfied. Whether it is the tasteless existence of a stone, the agony of a body reduced to ashes, or the entirety of a person's life and suffering, the act of consumption invariably grants him a sense of fulfillment. Should Subaru fail to fully accept and digest the memory, the Authority cannot activate. With this authority, Subaru even revived the dead. This Authority possesses no drawbacks. Subaru's desire to save everyone aligns perfectly with the endless hunger embodied by Gluttony.
Authority of Melancholy–Light-years Ahead
Origen: Space
Type: Anti-Unit
-The sixth Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru.
Obtained as a gift from Clind. Allows Subaru to designate a target and render the distance between himself and that target effectively infinite. Attacks, movement, perception, and interaction become impossible as space itself rejects proximity. The Authority's limitation is simple: Only one target may be affected at any given time.
Authority of Lust–Genesis of Self
Origen: Body
Type: Anti-Unit
-The seventh Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru. Obtained following the execution of Capella Emerada Lugunica. Allows Subaru to overwrite a person's physical form with the shape of their soul. Rather than altering biology, the Authority reveals the individual's true self. Inner nature, emotional state, and spiritual identity become physically manifested. The process inflicts catastrophic strain upon Subaru's own soul. Repeated use risks irreversible spiritual damage.
Authority of Pride–Gods Throne
Origin: Superiority
Type: Anti-Army
-The eighth Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru.
Obtained from the Witch Cult's central stronghold. Creates a territory centered upon Subaru. Any individual within this domain who genuinely perceives themselves as inferior to Subaru becomes subject to his commands.
Those who believe themselves equal or superior remain unaffected. This Authority possesses no drawbacks. Ironically, despite never considering himself worthy of the title, Subaru embodies the truest form of Pride—the unwavering determination to stand again after every defeat.
Authority of Vainglory–Parallax
Origin: Reality
Type: Anti-World / Anti-Destiny
-The ninth Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru.
Obtained through the successful suicide attack on Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory. Ancient astrology teaches that the stars determine fate. Parallax grants Subaru the ability to alter the "position of the stars" governing his existence, thereby changing the destiny assigned to him. In effect, the Authority permits limited rewriting of fate itself.
Its drawback is unique: Subaru died before using it. As a result, even he does not fully understand the limits or capabilities of this Authority.
Authority of Envy–Return by Death
Origin: Death
Type: Anti-Destiny / Anti-Self
-The first Authority acquired by Natsuki Subaru.
Granted by the Witch of Envy, Satella, upon his arrival in another world. Whenever Subaru dies, his existence is returned to a predetermined point in time chosen by the Authority itself. The world is rewritten accordingly, preserving only Subaru's memories of previous timelines. Originally, any attempt to reveal the nature of this Authority would invoke the Witch's punishment. However, following Satella's destruction through the Life Sword Zeam, this restriction ceased to exist.
Recorded Deaths: 27,511
Pandora's Box — The World of Endless Possibilities
Rank: EX
Type: Reality Marble
“I have seen it. I have lost it. I have chosen it.”
“Every path, every mistake, every ending that should not have been”
“Gather here, within my soul.”
“Open, the doors of forgotten days.”
“Unravel, you chains of what-ifs and never-was.”
“For the worlds I could not save.”
“This is the world I refused to abandon.”
“My whole soul was a Pandora’s Box.”
Though Natsuki Subaru never realized it during life, he unknowingly fulfilled the conditions necessary to manifest a Reality Marble.
A Mind Alien to the World
Subaru's mentality gradually diverged from that of ordinary humanity. Through repeated encounters with death and despair, he came to treat his own life as a disposable bargaining chip, assigning greater value to the lives and futures of others than to his own existence.
To repeatedly accept death, suffering, and loss while retaining the will to move forward is not a mindset that can be called normal. His inner world became something incomprehensible to both common sense and natural instinct.
Anomalous Origin and Affinity
Through becoming compatible with the nine Sin Authorities, Subaru's spiritual foundation accumulated multiple conceptual origins that should never coexist within a single soul.
Each Authority represented a contradiction to the natural order. Yet Subaru's existence accommodated them all without collapsing. A vessel carrying numerous mutually incompatible principles inevitably became detached from the framework of ordinary humanity.
The Strength to Oppose the World
A Reality Marble requires enough energy to force one's inner landscape onto reality itself.
While Subaru's personal mana reserves are notably unimpressive, his contracts with the Great Spirit Beatrice and the Enchanted Sword Zeam provide the magical energy necessary to sustain the phenomenon. Through borrowed power, he gains the ability to challenge the World and impose his own truth upon it.
And thus, the impossible was realized.
Pandora's Box.
Upon activation, the surrounding world is overwritten by a vast landscape drowned in black miasma. The air is heavy with the weight of countless tragedies, and the horizon stretches endlessly beneath a twilight sky.
Scattered throughout this world stand innumerable corpses.
They are Natsuki Subaru himself.
Subaru possesses complete control over every manifestation of himself within the Reality Marble.
Each body is a complete manifestation of a life that ended at a different point in his journey.
Every corpse possesses the abilities, knowledge, contracts, equipment, and Authorities that Subaru wielded at the moment of that particular death.
As a result, no two incarnations are truly identical.
The most horrifying fact is that every manifestation retains the principle of Return by Death.
Destruction is meaningless.
To kill one is merely to force it into another cycle of death and return within the Reality Marble.
As long as Pandora's Box remains deployed, the army of dead Subarus can neither be permanently eradicated nor reduced in number.
They will continue to rise, again and again, as embodiments of a will that has rejected the finality of death itself.
Thus, the Reality Marble presents an impossible battlefield.
An enemy does not face a single Natsuki Subaru.
They face every Natsuki Subaru.
Every failure.
Every sacrifice.
Every life that should have ended.
Every memory that cannot be forgotten.
Within Pandora's Box, Subaru's status as the vessel of the Sin Authorities reaches its absolute peak.
The strain, corruption, and compatibility issues normally associated with wielding multiple Authorities are completely absent. Every Authority responds as though it were a natural part of his existence.
For the duration of the Reality Marble, Subaru may freely utilize any Authority at his disposal without fear of backlash, mental degradation, or spiritual collapse.
The world inside Pandora's Box recognizes the Authorities as part of itself and therefore imposes no resistance upon their use.
The inhabitants of Pandora's Box are equally unnatural.
Residing within the Reality Marble are purified manifestations of the former bearers of the Sin Authorities. Though freed from the madness, obsessions, and distortions that once consumed them, each retains both their individuality and the Authority they wielded in life.
They are not familiars, summons, or illusions.
They are fully sentient residents of Subaru's inner world, capable of independent thought, judgment, and action.
Among them are:
-Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, Bearer of Sloth and the Great Earth Spirit.
-Regulus Corneas, Bearer of Greed and the Little King.
-Fortuna / Sirius Romanée-Conti, Bearer of Wrath and the Protector of Elior Forest.
-Natsuki Rigel(Lye), Natsuki Deneb(Roy) and Natsuki Spica(Louis), the Bearers of Gluttony and the former Gluttony Siblings.
-The 4 Great Mabeasts: White Whale, Great Rabbit, Black Serpent and Crimson Scorpion (Shaula).
-Hector, the Warlock of Melancholy.
-Capella Emerada Lugunica, the Bearer of Lust and the Princess of Lugunica.
-Stride Vollachia, Bearer of Pride and Prince of Vollachia.
-Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory.
Within Pandora's Box, they exist not as monsters, but as the idealized forms they might have become had they never been consumed by their respective sins.
Yet despite their purification, the Authorities themselves remain intact.
As such, the Reality Marble contains a congregation of beings who each wield powers capable of distorting reality, all acting under their own free will while inhabiting Subaru's soul.
Above them all shines the Pleiades Star Cluster, illuminating the miasma-covered world like a celestial crown.
At its core, Pandora's Box represents Subaru's soul.
Like the box of myth, it is a vessel created to contain countless evils. Within him reside the Authorities of Sin—powers that should bring only ruin and calamity.
Yet despite containing despair, hatred, greed, pride, and every other human vice, the final thing remaining at the bottom is the same thing that remained within Pandora's Box:
Hope.
For that is the essence of Natsuki Subaru.
A man who carried the world's evils upon his back so that others would never have to bear them.
A soul that became a prison for despair and a beacon of hope for everyone else.
Bonus:
What do the Residents do inside the Reality Marble?
Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, Bearer of Sloth and the Great Earth Spirit
Within Pandora's Box, Petelgeuse appears as he was before the Witch Factor twisted his mind and body. Gone are the madness and fanaticism that once defined him, leaving behind the gentle and compassionate man he had always been.
Among the residents, Petelgeuse naturally takes on the role of leader. He organizes, mediates disputes, and makes sure everyone is cared for. Whether it's helping them adjust or ensuring the Reality Marble remains peaceful, he is always the first to step forward.
Regulus Corneas, Bearer of Greed and the Little King
Regulus was restored to the form of a young boy, long before his soul became consumed by fear, paranoia, and possessiveness.
Without the insecurities that once poisoned his heart, he is surprisingly earnest and curious. More than anyone else, Regulus idolizes Natsuki Subaru.
To him, Subaru is the embodiment of true strength—a person who stood against impossible odds and protected everyone he cared about despite lacking overwhelming power.
Inspired by that example, Regulus spends much of his time training and refining his Authority. His goal is simple:
To become someone worthy of standing beside his hero.
Fortuna Romanée-Conti, Bearer of Wrath and Protector of Elior Forest
Freed from the corruption that transformed her into Sirius, Fortuna once again appears as the loving guardian remembered by those of Elior Forest.
She acts as the caretaker of Pandora's Box, quietly supporting the residents and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Whether tending to injuries, resolving arguments, or simply offering comfort, Fortuna is always willing to help.
Petelgeuse and Fortuna
Despite neither of them openly admitting it, most of the residents agree that Petelgeuse and Fortuna behave very much like a married couple.
Perhaps that is because, in a sense, they are.
Before corruption claimed them both, the two harbored feelings for one another that neither had the courage nor opportunity to fully express. Then, in the twisted path their lives eventually took, Petelgeuse and Sirius were married, though under circumstances neither would consider ideal.
Within Pandora's Box, freed from madness and reunited as the people they were meant to be, they have naturally fallen into a comfortable routine together.
Fortuna keeps Petelgeuse from overworking himself, while Petelgeuse insists on helping her with every task no matter how small. They can often be found sharing meals, taking walks through the Reality Marble, or quietly enjoying one another's company.
Neither has formally acknowledged the relationship.
The rest of the residents gave up waiting for them to do so long ago.
At this point, everyone simply assumes they are married and treats them accordingly.
Whenever someone points this out, Fortuna becomes flustered, Petelgeuse immediately starts rambling, and the conversation somehow ends with both of them sitting together anyway.
Not a single resident believes they're fooling anyone.
Natsuki Rigel, Natsuki Deneb, and Natsuki Spica
The Bearers of Gluttony
Unlike the other residents, the former Gluttony siblings had already found redemption before Subaru's death. Freed from the endless hunger that once controlled them, they were adopted by Natsuki Subaru and became his children.
As a result, they know a version of Subaru that none of the others ever had the chance to meet.
The others only possess knowledge of Subaru from before their deaths, supplemented by whatever fragmented information the Grail provided. Rigel, Deneb, and Spica, however, knew him as a father.
Thus, much of their time is spent sharing stories about him.
Stories of his triumphs, his embarrassing moments, his stubbornness, his kindness, and the countless little things that made him who he was.
For the residents of Pandora's Box, these stories are both their greatest source of entertainment and their clearest window into the man whose soul they now inhabit.
The White Whale, Great Rabbit, Black Serpent and Crimson Scorpion.
The three Great Mabeasts were transformed into human forms through the efforts of the Crimson Scorpion and other Residents, allowing them to reside within Pandora's Box.
To the surprise of everyone involved, they adapted remarkably well.
Surrounded by thousands of incarnations of Natsuki Subaru, each carrying the overwhelming scent of the Witch's Miasma, the three creatures consider the Reality Marble to be something akin to paradise.
For beings once driven entirely by instinct, it is perhaps the closest thing to happiness they have ever known.
Hector, the Warlock of Melancholy
Unlike most residents, Hector's appearance remains completely unchanged from his life.
He treats the Reality Marble as a research project.
Fascinated by Subaru's existence, Hector dedicates much of his time to documenting the countless deaths represented throughout Pandora's Box. He studies each incarnation, each failure, and each tragedy in an attempt to answer a single question:
How did Natsuki Subaru endure all of this without succumbing to Melancholy?
To this day, he has yet to find an answer.
Capella Emerada Lugunica, Bearer of Lust and Princess of Lugunica
Capella was restored to the form she possessed during her youth, before years of abuse and violation twisted her view of herself and others.
Without those scars, she is dramatically different from the monster remembered by history.
Like Regulus, Capella sees Subaru as a hero. Unlike Regulus, however, her admiration borders on outright devotion.
She openly refers to Subaru as her knight in shining armor, the man who rescued her from the corruption of Sin itself.
Capella frequently jokes that had she remained alive, she would have appointed Subaru as her personal knight and future consort.
These comments never fail to provoke groans and complaints from Rigel, Deneb, and Spica, who are fiercely protective of their father and deeply annoyed by Capella's intentions.
Stride Vollachia, Bearer of Pride and Prince of Vollachia
Stride appears as he did before the poison that destroyed his life.
Most of his days are spent conversing with the other residents, debating philosophy, and learning from perspectives he never encountered while alive.
By all rights, he should resent Subaru.
Subaru shattered everything he believed about the world.
Stride viewed existence as a stage controlled by invisible puppet masters, where the only thing you could do was cause chaos to fight against it. When faced with despair, he blamed fate itself.
Subaru chose the opposite path.
Rather than curse the world, he blamed his own shortcomings and sought to improve himself. No matter how many times he failed, he continued moving forward.
The two men faced remarkably similar struggles.
Yet where Stride surrendered to cynicism, Subaru refused to abandon hope.
Because of this, Stride feels no hatred toward him.
Only admiration.
Only pride.
To Stride Vollachia, no one deserves the title of Pride more than Natsuki Subaru.
Pandora, Witch of Vainglory
Pandora is the sole resident whose mind and body remain entirely unchanged.
No purification.
No redemption.
No alteration.
She is exactly as she was in life.
Most of her time is spent gazing at the Pleiades overhead, quietly watching the stars in silence. She rarely participates in conversations unless directly addressed and often appears detached from the activities of the other residents.
Whenever the others manage to drag her away from her stargazing, however, she reluctantly assists Capella and the former Gluttony siblings in creating games, toys, and various forms of entertainment through her Authority.
Though she seldom admits it, she never refuses their requests.
And so, despite remaining as enigmatic as ever, Pandora has become an inseparable part of the strange little community that exists within the soul of Natsuki Subaru.
There is, however, one thing that the other residents have noticed.
Whenever the topic of Natsuki Subaru arises, Pandora grows noticeably quieter.
The Mad Sage was the one who ultimately brought about both his own end and hers. Yet rather than fading into oblivion, she now exists within the Reality Marble itself, a permanent resident of the soul that defeated her.
No matter where time flows.
No matter how space shifts.
No matter how many worlds rise or fall.
Natsuki Subaru will forever carry Pandora within his soul.
It is a thought that should feel like a prison.
Instead, Pandora finds it strangely comforting.
For an existence who spent eternity detached from others, untethered by ordinary bonds, the certainty that she will never be forgotten is... pleasant.
She would never openly admit such a thing, of course.
Yet whenever she sits beneath the Pleiades and reflects upon that fact, a faint blush sometimes appears on her face.
Naturally, she denies it whenever anyone points it out.